The nurse recognizes that the sleep patterns of older adults differ an

The nurse recognizes that the sleep patterns of older adults differ and older adults generally:

1. Are more difficult to arouse
2. Require more sleep than middle-age adults
3. Take less time to fall asleep
4. Have a decline in stage 4 sleep

ANSWER

ANS: 4
As people age, there is a progressive decrease in stages 3 and 4 NREM sleep; some older adults have almost no stage 4, or deep, sleep. Older people do not become more difficult to arouse, not do they require more sleep than the middle-age adult. An older adult awakens more often during the night, and it may take more time for an older adult to fall asleep.